Everything about the Bellingham to Ketchikan ferry
As also mentioned in our ferry guide from Washington State to Alaska, the connection from Bellingham to Ketchikan is a route you must take to get to Alaska by ferry. It's the first crossing that simply ‘skips' mooring in Canada, which makes the ferry route a 100% US route.
Map with the route from Bellingham.
MV Colombia is the fastest ferry on this route.
The route takes about 41 hours, but these travel durations can change since it's a long ferry. Also, because there are three to four different ships on this route with different engines:
Vessel | Speed (Knots) | Passenger Capacity | Number of Cabins | Additional Detail |
---|---|---|---|---|
MV Columbia | 17.5 | Approx. 499 | 104 | Largest vessel in the Alaska Marine Highway System, serving the Inside Passage. |
MV Kennicott | 17 | Approx.499 | 85 | Equipped with a solarium for passengers to enjoy panoramic views. |
MV Matanuska | 16 | Approx. 499 | 104 | Features a cafeteria and observation lounges for passengers. |
From Bellingham to Ketchikan
Many travelers book this route ‘as part' of their route to Alaska, while Ketchikan is technically Alaska, it's not like the best endpoint, more like a starting point if you want to venture North to Alaska.
The Schedule of this ferry is very difficult to list or explain in a table, for this you really need to look up the schedule through a test booking. You can make these test bookings here.
Pricing on the Bellingham-Ketchikan ferry.
If you want to take the ferry to Bellingham or the other way around from Ketchikan to Bellingham the minimal price for a single trip for one person will be close to 450 dollars. It's difficult though to reach this low price as there are many things involved like scarcity and cabins you have to book. Also with or without a car makes a huge difference. One person with a car and a cabin looks like this:

As this route is mostly booked as a part of the entire trip, the total price can of course be much more.
Excel –
The Bellingham-Ketchikan ferry provided a pleasant journey with beautiful coastal scenery, the ship was nice and the staff was also very nice!